Gladys Muhammad Tied to At Least $293,000 in City and School Payments, Records Show
- Logan Foster
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
By Logan Foster
Redress South Bend | January 16, 2026 Public records reviewed by Redress South Bend show that the City of South Bend and the South Bend Community School Corporation have paid at least $293,000 since 2022 to Gladys Muhammad and entities she leads, based on contracts and invoices obtained to date.
Redress South Bend previously reported on consulting contracts between the City of South Bend and Muhammad that authorized payments of up to $60,000 per year. Newly obtained records show additional contracts and payments, increasing the total amount of public funds connected to Muhammad across multiple government agencies.
City of South Bend contracts
City contracts executed in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 show Muhammad was retained as an independent contractor by the city’s Department of Community Investment to provide community engagement and outreach services related to housing initiatives.
Each contract authorized payments of up to $60,000, structured as $5,000 per month for up to 80 hours of work, according to fee schedules attached to the agreements.
Across the four contract years reviewed, the city agreements authorized cumulative payments of up to $240,000. The contracts list similar scopes of work year to year, including organizing public meetings, conducting outreach related to housing programs and assisting with neighborhood engagement efforts.
South Bend Community School Corporation payments
In addition to the city contracts, records show the South Bend Community School Corporation paid $25,000 in 2023 and $28,000 in 2024 to GM Empowerment Group for extended learning and remedial support services serving 40 to 60 students.
Combined total
When combined, the city contracts and school payments reviewed to date total at least $293,000 in public funds connected to Muhammad and organizations she leads between 2022 and 2025. The total reflects only contracts and invoices obtained so far and the total may increase as additional records are reviewed.
Procurement and selection
The documents reviewed do not indicate that the consulting work was publicly offered for competitive bid or subject to an open request-for-proposals process.
Muhammad previously served as secretary of the St. Joseph County Democratic Party, according to party records. Contemporary news coverage from 2019 shows she appeared in campaign-produced testimonial videos and organized a campaign-related event in South Bend in support of then-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg during his presidential campaign.
The payments come as South Bend continues to face budget pressures and increased scrutiny of consulting and professional service expenditures across local government.
Reporting by Logan Foster for Redress South Bend
Records reviewed include contracts and invoices obtained through public records requests.
